Written in October 2022
Picture your head as a clear tank of water. The tank has 4 parts: (1) water, (2) faucets, (3) drains, & (4) a line marking a certain water level.
(1) The water represents stress. It continually fills the tank (sometimes at a fast rate, sometimes at a slow rate).
(2) The faucets represent things that cause stress.
(3) The drains represent things that relieve stress.
(4) And the line represents the amount of stress you can handle before you start to feel like shit consistently.
Personally, I have a lot of faucets (things that cause stress). Sometimes, those faucets cause the water levels to surpass my stress line. At that point, everything bottles up at once and I need to gtfo, go on a walk, talk to a friend, and stop thinking about all of my problems.
I hate that feeling. In the past few months, I’ve started to notice a pattern that causes it. My faucet levels haven’t changed. But without realizing it, I’ve slowly closed my drains (things that relieve stress). Since my water of stress had nowhere to go, it slowly built up.
I think this happens to a lot more people than we think. Luckily, we can prevent slow build-ups (& subsequent freak-outs) with one simple question:
What are my drains and are they open?
There are a few easy ones: eating well, staying hydrated, staying connected with friends/family, getting outside / exercising, & giving your brain space to think.
Almost every single time I felt super stressed out, I hadn’t been doing these basic things for the days leading up to it.
So let’s focus on being better plumbers. Keep your drains clear and life will flow a whole lot better.